Danielle HerroSustainable Innovations BringingDigital M

Danielle Herro
Sustainable Innovations: Bringing
Digital Media and Emerging
Technologies to the Classroom
Because traditional schools struggle to effec-
tively understand, implement, and sustain digital
learning initiatives, innovating with digital media
in classrooms is a difficult endeavor. Prac-
titioners need examples to better understand
conditions necessary to move forward with
digital media and learning (DML) in schools.
This article provides examples and supports
research proposing that context and culture
matter when innovating in schools. Three class-
room cases using Web 2.0, app development, and
game design are discussed, offering educators a
pathway to consider similar pedagogical and

participatory approaches to foster learning.
Classroom contexts, teachers’ perspectives, dis-
trict supports, technical requirements, and
scalability are highlighted. The examples suggest
innovative DML initiatives can flourish within
schools when participants are mindful of context
and when a participatory culture is supported
(Jenkins, Clinton, Purushotma, Robison, &
Weigel, 2006).
INNOVATION WITH digital media to promotelearning in
schools is fraught with challenges.
Prohibitive policies, inadequate infrastructure,
curriculum requirements, and insufficient pro-
fessional development limit teacher and student
digital media and learning (DML) experiences
(Collins & Halverson, 2009). The structure of
schooling with teacher-directed, inflexible blocks
of time runs counter to openly networked,
participatory practices enabled by digital media

(Fahser-Herro & Steinkuehler, 2009). Limited
support and embedded, industrial-age practices
like standardized instruction taught in discrete
chunks of time, common to schools, thwart
innovation and change (Cuban, 2001; Ertmer,
2005; Shaffer, 2006).
Research and models toward sustainable
DML practices suggest pathways for scalable
Danielle Herro is an assistant professor of Digital
Media and Learning at Clemson University.
Correspondence should be addressed to Professor
Danielle Herro, Eugene T. Moore School of Education,
Clemson University, 205 Tillman Hall, Clemson, SC
29634. E-mail: [email protected]
Color versions of one or more of the figures in the
article can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/
htip.
Theory Into Practice, 54:117–127, 2015
Copyright q The College of Education and Human Ecology, The

Ohio State University
ISSN: 0040-5841 print/1543-0421 online
DOI: 10.1080/00405841.2015.1010834
117
mailto:[email protected]
mailto:[email protected]
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2015.1010834
innovations that can happen in schools. The
Consortium for School Networking (2014)
engaged in MacArthur funded research selected
13 innovative school districts detailing policies,
practices, challenges, and successes using digital
media for learning. The resulting whitepaper
suggested that to scale technological innovation
educators must (a) consider the context of
innovations, and (b) make a commitment to
shift classroom culture. It argued that sustainable
innovations must be supported by broad commu-
nity participation, ranging from policy changes to

professional development and collaborative
partnerships (Chamberlain et al., 2013).
Context, or circumstances unique to each
classroom, must be accounted for when con-
sidering ways to innovate. Tightly prescribed
reform models are often ineffective, as they fail to
consider teachers’ daily classroom conditions.
“One-size-fits-all educational innovations do not
work because they ignore contextual factors that
determine an intervention’s efficacy in a particu-
lar local situation” (Clarke & Dede, 2009,
p. 353). To enact meaningful, scalable change,
schools must consider the operational context and
identify what works for them based on their needs
and environment. Coburn (2003, as cited in Clark
& Dede, 2009) proposed four interrelated
dimensions that encompass meaningful reform,
summarized as:

Depth: deep, consequential changes in
classroom practice and curriculum altering
teachers’ beliefs;
Sustainability: maintaining changes over time;
Spread: diffusing the innovation to other
classrooms and schools; [and]
Shift: districts, schools, and teachers assuming
ownership of the innovation spreading the
impact. (p. 354)
In a similar vein, Songer, Lee, and McDonald
(2003) discussed scaling innovation through an
approach using “maverick” teachers (p. 495).
They described how interested and technologi-
cally savvy teachers may be early adopters
(mavericks) who can customize innovation to fit
their needs without extensive guidance and
adequate support. However, to scale innovations
systemic support and the capacity to adapt the

innovation to the local context are necessary,
and this often requires assistance from other
teachers, district administrators, or local
universities.
Recognizing that context matters is an
important, first step in proposing, driving, and
sustaining innovation. It takes vision, planning,
support, and commitment considerate of the
local reality to reform beliefs and practices with
DML.
Culture plays another significant role in
transforming classrooms with digital media.
Learners of all ages now participate in technol-
ogy-mediated, social and cultural communities to
share, support, and refine expertise. Jenkins et al.
(2006) defined this participation as a “participa-
tory culture” which includes “relatively low
barriers to expression, strong support for creating

and sharing with one another, informal member-
ship in which experience is passed to novices, and
members believing their contributions matter”
(pp. 5–6).
This article presents three innovative class-
room cases offering students opportunities to
learn through Web 2.0 tools, apps, and games,
drawing on teacher perspectives to understand
sustainability. Classroom contexts, teachers’
perspectives, district-level supports, technical
requirements, and scalability are highlighted.
I offer a framework not for particular tools but,
instead, to promote sustainable practices through
broad pedagogical approaches and participation
in a supportive, visionary culture.
Two overarching ideas presented provide a
basis for this article: being mindful of context
(Clarke & Dede, 2009) and offering opportunities

for involvement in a participatory culture with
DML matters when innovating with digital media
in schools (Jenkins et al., 2006). The article
concludes by discussing the context and culture
common among the cases proposing what
teachers might do to foster innovation within
their classrooms.
Digital Media and Learning
118
Case 1: Integrating Web 2.0 Tools in a Social
Studies Curriculum
Classroom Context
This case includes 2 teachers, Jill and Barbara,
and 37 students in 2 eighth-grade suburban
classrooms participating in a 9-week technology-
laden social studies curriculum asking students to
explore various perspectives on a global topic.

Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and social bookmarks
facilitated topic investigation and discussion. The
curriculum was cowritten by the teachers and the
District’s Instructional Technology Administra-
tor (ITA). For 9 weeks, the ITA supported
teachers and students through curriculum revi-
sion, coteaching, and general classroom tasks.
Topics included global issues such as going
green, cloning, animal testing, war, healthcare
reform, and the death penalty. Learning objec-
tives targeted social studies standards, and were
aligned with district-sanctioned English language
arts and technology standards. Criteria sheets and
rubrics directed students and provided guidelines
for formative and summative assessments. Class
was conducted in 2 middle school computer labs,
and consisted of daily, 55-minute lessons.
Students could choose the elective course, with

75% of approximately 150 students across both
sites electing to enroll during an academic
quarter.
Teachers provided content on teaching blogs,
acted as guides or facilitators more often than
engaging in direct instruction, and allowed
students choice in content and aesthetics for
their media creation. Group decision-making and
content sharing were encouraged. Students
created blogs after researching the issue, and
presented evidence citing the pros and cons of the
controversy with images, polls, and hyperlinks to
support reasoning. A screenshot representing a
typical blog is shown in Figure 1.
Students further supported their viewpoints by
creating podcasts role-playing stakeholders such
as famous scientists debating animal testing in
a radio news show, interviewing professors

discussing the pros and cons of cloning, or a
game show featuring contestants answering
questions about “going green.”
Teacher Perspectives
In this case, both teachers believed that digital
tools shifted their role away from “teachers
modeling technology” to “teachers facilitating
learning.” Barbara said she moved beyond
teaching research (retrieval) on the Internet or
simply providing step-by-step instructions, to
being flexible with new technologies; Jill
believed her role shifted from teacher-directed
to teacher-facilitated technology instruction.
District Support
Two primary district-level provisions allowed
this curriculum to move forward. First, a DML
support group called the Tech Cabinet was
developed, consisting of the Director of Instruc-

tion, Network Manager, Instructional Technol-
ogy Administrator, Library Media Specialist and
teachers. The Tech Cabinet was charged with
supporting teachers’ integration of digital learn-
ing. For example, teachers wanting to integrate a
digital game into their curriculum proposed it
to the Tech Cabinet seeking technical support,
demonstrating curriculum alignment, and
suggesting professional development for others.
The Tech Cabinet ensured that necessary
decision-makers moved ideas forward.
In addition, policies were rewritten allowing
students to access typically blocked Internet sites,
in turn compelling technical services to open sites
required for topic exploration, e.g., Google
accounts, Wikipedia, and YouTube. At times,
this required informing or asking permission
of the School Board, parents, or community.

Rethinking policy was key in allowing techno-
logical innovation and then aligning practices
(Chamberlain et al., 2013, p. 7).
Technical Requirements
With the exception of adequate broadband to
download YouTube videos, technical require-
ments were minimal. Computer labs existed in
Herro Sustainable Innovations
119
each school and nominal bandwidth was required
to access digital tools. Social media and web sites
utilized included Google Docs, Blogger, Deli-
cious, Audacity, and Wikispaces. Twenty iPods
were purchased via reallocated district funds
(typically spent updating hardware) allowing
students to check out devices and peer-review
podcasts at home.

Scalability
To extend teaching and learning and promote
innovation, Jill and Barbara delivered content on
blogs, acted as facilitators more often than using
direct instruction, and allowed students creativity
and choice in content and aesthetics. Group
decision-making and content sharing was encour-
aged. In turn, students tremendously engaged in
the tasks, accessed tools from home and school,
and met expectations on criteria-aligned assign-
ments. Some students expanded their learning
outside of school, mixing music with Audacity or
creating personal blogs or podcasts.
The proposed pilot course was considered so
successful it was expanded the next year scaling
to six, versus four, sections at each school; the
classes filled to capacity. Furthermore, course
teachers immediately extended the tools and

learning to their other courses, integrating social
bookmarks, blogging, and podcasting units in
fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-grade classrooms. They
offered professional development and created
onsite, summer graduate courses for their
colleagues. Although the course eventually
became required, the District’s intention was to
embed the tools and teaching across curricular
areas making the elective course unnecessary.
Figure 1. Screenshot of Student-Created Blog.
120
Case 2: Supporting a Traditional Science
Curriculum With App Development
Classroom Context
Delaney has been teaching eighth-grade
science for 8 years in a mid-sized suburban,

Southern city. Beginning in 2013, Delaney
utilized MIT App Inventor (http://appinventor.
mit.edu/) to support a 4-week, 12-lesson fossil
unit in science. The approximately 25 students in
each of the three eighth-grade science classes in
which the unit was taught represented a range of
abilities and socio-economic backgrounds.
Students learned about fossils as part of a rock
unit informed by state science standards.
Essential questions guided research regarding
fossil formation, and students ultimately designed
a story-telling app demonstrating understanding
of their investigations. Apps were designed with
images, buttons, and text providing users with
answers to questions such as “How do fossils
form?” or “Where are fossils found?” or “What
are the different types of fossils?” At the end of
the 12 lessons, each student planned (via

storyboarding), designed, play-tested, and revised
an app. Figures 2 and 3 provide an example of a
student-created app.
Teacher Perceptions
Delaney discovered app creation while attend-
ing a 2-day workshop focused on MIT App
Inventor, hosted by a local university.
In conversations during planning sessions before
the unit, she expressed excitement over bringing
interest-based learning to her classroom citing
media use by her previous eighth-grade students
as motivating, social, and production-oriented.
Throughout the unit, Delaney reminded her
students that creating apps was novel; she
encouraged collaborative learning and made
changes and improvements as the unit
progressed.
Delaney believed that engaging in the unit

assisted students in thinking critically about the
content (fossils) while designing and solving
problem when creating apps. She thought it
provided a foundation for students to consider
courses or careers involving visual programming.
During the unit, Delaney created numerous
instructional materials supporting learning,
made revisions, and committed to reteach the
unit the following year in her classroom and other
District classrooms. She frequently commented
on being flexible and embracing change with
digital media.
Figure 2. Screenshot of Student’s App in Designer View Using
MIT App Inventor. Used with permission.
Herro Sustainable Innovati ons
121
http://appinventor.mit.edu/
http://appinventor.mit.edu/

District Support
The school is part of a large county district
consisting of 83 schools. Technologically pro-
gressive by today’s standards, the district’s
students were encouraged to bring their own
devices, and the district adopted Google Apps for
Education and Edmodo (https://www.edmodo.
com/) across 18 middle schools and 14 high
schools. The district web page encouraged using
Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for communi-
cation. Although Internet filtering was common,
the district allowed limited access or unblocks
educationally valuable web sites. Policies encour-
aged responsible use, and the district provided
technology coaches, extensive on-site pro-
fessional development, and workshops facilitat-
ing technology innovation. Its innovative culture
included supportive policies, a district commit-

ment to using social media, and teacher
resources.
Before implementing the curriculum, district
technicians downloaded MIT App Inventor on 28
school-owned laptop computers. An important
component of building an app is play-testing the
in-progress app, so the partnering university
purchased Android tablets, and technical support
ensured Wi-Fi connectivity between the laptops
and tablets.
Scalability
Delaney intended to scale the MIT App
Inventor unit to other students and classrooms:
(a) reteaching the unit to three classes during the
pilot; (b) offering afterschool workshops to
introduce her colleagues to App Inventor; and
(c) applying for a district-level technology

coaching position hoping to integrate app
creation in other middle school classrooms.
Case 3: A Game Design Curriculum for High
School Students
Classroom Context
In its first year, 174 students at a Midwestern
public high school completed an introductory
Figure 3. Student Coding in Blocks Editor View of MIT App
Inventor. Used with permission.
122
https://www.edmodo.com/
https://www.edmodo.com/
gaming course designed for students to examine
the history, elements, purpose, and usefulness of
games. The half-credit elective course was
offered in 90-min or 45-min blocks for 9 and 18
weeks respectively. After studying the value of
games in business, military, science, healthcare,

and education, students collaboratively played
and designed games. Criteria and rubrics aligned
to technical education, computer science, digital
literacy, and technological skill proficiencies
determine student success. The instructor scaf-
folded learning in this media-rich course; Google
Apps, Daqri (http://www.daqri.com/), The Game
Crafter (https://www.thegamecrafter.com/),
Kodu (http://www.kodugamelab.com/), Scratch
(http://scratch.mit.edu/), and Augmented Reality
Interactive Storytelling (ARIS; http://arisgames.
org/) facilitated communication, problem-sol-
ving, and design work. Peer evaluation and
play-tester feedback guided modifications.
In each course, students had played, designed,
and peer-reviewed a variety of board, digital, and
mobile games. Although student achievement
was undeniably important in measuring success

within any curriculum, the District’s initial focus
was on piloting, revising, and sustaining game-
design and game-play opportunities.
Teacher Perspective
The teacher, James, considered himself a
gamer who understands the value of games to
encourage problem solving and creativity.
He began gaming in elementary school and
continues to investigate and play new games for
personal and educational use. His identity, his
vast experience, and his immersion in gaming
culture influenced his perspective. Throughout
the course, James noted that the appeal of games
encouraged students to produce high-quality
content, and he was pleased with their work.
His students designed a host of multiscreen,
multiplayer games (in Kodu), complex program-
ming (in Scratch), and intricately scripted and

detailed mobile games (in ARIS).
Students’ varying academic performance,
behaviors, scheduling, and technical require-
ments were James’ greatest challenges.
In addition to high-performing students, he
acknowledged that the courses drew a fair
number of students with attention deficit disorder,
mild autism, or behavioral issues. He addressed
the challenges by rethinking collaborative
groups, opening the lab at lunch and after school
to accommodate students needing additional
time, and asking school administrators to use
block scheduling for the course. Issues with
technical support remained an ongoing frustra-
tion especially when new gaming platforms were
introduced. Despite the challenges, James
believed that the course succeeded in teaching
students design, technical, critical thinking, and

collaborative skills.
District-Level Support
The gaming course was supported by a culture
intentionally built by the district 3 years prior to
curriculum implementation. Building the culture
entailed (a) policy changes to review, unblock,
and consider responsible use for all forms of
media; (b) on-site professional development and
graduate courses that discussed technology-
related research and trends; (c) community
involvement and communication with digital
media tools; and (d) directed efforts to pilot and
evaluate content-focused units with embedded
Web 2.0 tools and mobile devices. In all
likelihood, games, as part of formal curricula,
would not have been embraced without this
supportive culture. The district was clearly
committed to innovation demonstrated by their

vision, curriculum writing, and resource and
staffing allocation.
Because the course relied on inexpensive or
free web sites, videos, and platforms, start-up
costs, beyond the instructor salary and existing
computer lab, totaled less than $8,000. Initial
expenditures included game controllers, mobile
devices, board games, and game-making supplies
partially funded by a local computer company.
Upgrades or technological advancements in
gaming platforms, tools, or online spaces dictated
123
http://www.daqri.com/
https://www.thegamecrafter.com/
http://www.kodugamelab.com/
http://scratch.mit.edu/
http://arisgames.org/
http://arisgames.org/

technical changes, at times limiting game and
curricular options.
Scalability
After the first year, the district continued
expanding learning options by forming after-
school clubs where students built interest-based
games, develop apps, and make community
connections. For instance, a local museum
enlisted student-game designers to build an
augmented reality game for patrons examining
exhibit artifacts, and a public education foun-
dation provided funds for high school game-
designers to create Smartboard games for
younger students. After Minecraft (https://mine-
craft.net/) was introduced in a high school
afterschool club, the district extended the
learning to two other middle schools clubs, and
eventually integrated Minecraft within formal

curriculum.
Popular with staff members, community
members, and students, the course was con-
sidered a viable model to use games for learning,
and resulted in developing a second high school
game design course the next academic year.
Focusing on computational thinking practices
and sophisticated design environments, new
course units explore MIT App Inventor, Portal
2 (http://www.thinkwithportals.com/), and Unity
(http://unity3d.com/) as preparation for careers
involving design and systems thinking.
Understanding Context: What Might
Educators Do?
Undoubtedly, moving forward with social
media, app and game design in classrooms
requires forethought and presents challenges. The
teachers outlined in the first two cases were eager

to consider curricular innovation in their class-
rooms, but unskilled in the digital technologies
and integration methods they employed; admit-
tedly the gaming teacher in the third case was
more of a “maverick” (Songer et al., 2003) with a
gaming mindset and experience, but he lacked
resources to write and implement the curriculum.
All of the instances required district-level support
and forethought to match the teachers’ interest
and ability to expertise and resources. Supporting
their interests resulted in increased use and
customization of innovative digital tools for their
classrooms. Increased planning and professional
developed is particularly important for teachers
using highly innovative game or app design
platforms such as MIT App Inventor, Kodu, or
ARIS, which are novel in their use of visual
programming, game-like environments, or inte-

gration with mobile technologies.
The examples herein also demonstrate the
absolute necessity of teachers cognizant of what
might work in their particular setting, whether
tying the innovation to requisite standards,
embedding it within current curriculum, or
offering new courses. The teachers innovated in
ways suited for their particular situation; Jill and
Barbara were comfortable trying numerous Web
2.0 tools; Delaney focused on supporting her
science curriculum with one innovative tool; and
James had expertise and backing to create an
entirely new game-based curriculum using
available games and customizing instructional
materials. District-level entities like Tech Cabi-
net, instructional coaches, and availability of
digital resources further supported their work.
The cases suggest that teachers would benefit

from considering the following when moving
forward with classroom innovations:
1. Take advantage of available district sup-
ports such as instructional coaches and
professional development, as well as
sanctioned tools like Edmodo, Google
Apps for Education, or other digital
resources. Make use of the often available
and underutilized instructional and the
increasingly common onsite professional
development focused on integrating tech-
nology. Share best practices among col-
leagues to offer support to locate, create,
refine, or coteach innovative lessons. Many
school districts facilitate this by creating
online repositories with district-endorsed
available tools, easing technical or policy
issues.

124
http://https://minecraft.net/
http://https://minecraft.net/
http://www.thinkwithportals.com/
http://unity3d.com/
2. Focus on addressing innovation within
particular classroom contexts; with thou-
sands of free and available digital
resources, it is impossible and unnecessary
to understand the affordances of every tool.
Excellent resources are provided online,
including award-winning sites such as
Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything
(http://www.schrockguide.net/), organiz-
ations devoted to helping teachers innovate
such as Edutopia (http://www.edutopia.
org/), or trusted educational blogs such as
Mindshift (http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshi ft/)

or The Tech Savvy Educator (http://www.
techsavvyed.net/). The sites provide
resources to assist in choosing appropriate
tools that fit with content. Although many
tools can be learned via YouTube videos or
exploration, it is important to note which
digital tools require extensive time or
professional learning before introducing
them to students.
3. Advocate for technical support and polices
allowing access to educationally relevant
sites. Many districts separate technical
support from instruction, resulting in a
lack of common understanding and shared
goals, which hinder instructional progress.
Work with school-level administrators via
informal conversations, ad hoc committees,
or formal “Tech Cabinet” entities as

outlined previously to accelerate innovation
faster and cohesively.
4. Embrace the ever-shifting features in digital
tools. Unlike standard software packages of
the past, frequently updated online tools are
the norm. Students quickly adapt to changes
after learning the basics of digital tools, and
teachers can learn from their students and
accept a mindset of adaptation.
Similar to other successful school districts, the
innovations in these cases spread to other
classrooms and clubs, or extended curricular
opportunities because of supportive district
policies, job embedded professional develop-
ment, or assistance from a local university
(Chamberlain et al, 2013).
Fostering Participation: What Does it
Look Like?

Each case offered a “participatory culture”
(Jenkins et al., 2006, p. 5) that assisted in the
refinement or success of the innovation. Jenkins’
four main principles of a participatory culture,
outlined in the following with examples, offer
teachers a window into the possibilities for
classrooms.
Low Barriers to Expression
Across the cases, teachers and students
experienced “relatively low barriers to
expression” (Jenkins et al., 2006, p. 5) with a
host of available media. Web sites were
unblocked allowing access to Web 2.0 tools,
MIT App Inventor, and games. Digital media was
accessed in and out of school. Likewise, to enact
change and encourage expression with digital
media, teachers can and should familiarize
themselves with student use of media outside of

school and encourage similar skills in school.
Infographic creation, blogging, audio mixes, or
fanfiction writing, which are all readily available
online (and typically free), present low barriers to
learning and expression. For more difficult media
to adopt, such as games or coding programs,
teachers might participate in workshops or
professional development centered on how
these learning tools can foster creativity, design
and production while teaching requisite skills;
students will likely consider the tools “low
barriers to expression.”
Strong Support for Creating and Sharing
Creations
The examples showed “strong support for
creating and sharing creations” (Jenkins et al.,
2006, p. 5); teachers encouraged students’
interests, peer review, and sharing of media

online, through portable means (iPods), or within
the community. Collaboration was fostered with
a local museum, during game nights, in online
communities, or in afterschool clubs. Teachers
can and should assist students in forming
125
http://www.schrockguide.net/
http://www.edutopia.org/
http://www.edutopia.org/
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/
http://www.techsavvyed.net/
http://www.techsavvyed.net/
community memberships—online or local—
extending their access to mentors and peers
while supporting student interests and modeling
peer review. Likewise, teachers can share units,
lessons, resources, and student work with one
another, supporting best practices and discussing
challenges.

Informal Membership
Informal memberships allowed “experience to
be passed to novices” (Jenkins et al., 2006, p. 6)
as evidenced by the teachers’ use of teaching
blogs, peer apprenticeships in student groupings,
teacher workshops, or club events. Teachers in
the cases assisted other teachers, and students
instinctively assisted one another within each
unit. Accessing professional learning commu-
nities such as those found on Twitter or Pinterest,
forming cohorts with interested colleagues, and
committing to sharing best practices fosters and
supports new learning transferable to classrooms.
Membership within these groups centers on
common interests (e.g., enlisting fanfiction to
teach literacy, using iPads for digital storytelling,
or game design to teach STEM skills), where
teachers, students, and others with expertise help

one another achieve goals within informal
groups.
Recognizing Contributions
In all three examples, members “believed their
contributions mattered” (Jenkins et al., 2006,
p. 6). The district supported teacher-generated
pilots, encouraged creating units or courses,
offered technical support, and supported pro-
fessional development. Students were encour-
aged to review one another’s work, to bring
forward interests in media creation, and, at times,
to direct the type of media used to expand
learning. The participatory culture assisted in
sustaining and scaling innovation. Teacher-to-
teacher, teacher-to-student, and student-to-stu-
dent feedback, constructive critique, and sugges-
tions for refining work can build a culture within
or beyond classrooms where participants believe

their contributions matter and are worthy of
review and feedback. Additionally, pilot ideas
acknowledging the potential for failure or
refinement allow contributors to safely take
risks while legitimizing the contribution.
Shifting Policy and Practice: A New
Role for Teachers
The teachers frequently discussed their roles
as facilitator versus instructor; each committed to
altering their classroom practice during or after
the initial curriculum or unit was taught. They
adapted to change and implemented new ideas
when reteaching the courses or units. In the first
and third cases, teachers spread the DML
experiences to other district classrooms via
workshops, professional development, or new
course creation. The cases support Coburn’s
(2003) notion that changes in classroom practices

can produce meaningful reform. Teachers altered
their teaching beliefs (depth), maintained the
innovations over time (sustainability), and scaled
(spread) their work to other classrooms. Shift was
less apparent as the innovations noted are in their
infancy, however in each instance there is reason
to believe that shift may occur, as evidenced by
plans to embed Web 2.0 tools across the district.
In the first case, Delaney’s aspiration to become a
technology coach spread the innovation widely,
and James’s expansion of student gaming
practices spurred Minecraft units in other
schools. These cases underscore Chamberlain
and colleagues’ (2013) premise that understand-
ing the context of particular settings, and
situating innovation in supportive, participatory
cultures is imperative for success.
Over the last 15 years, typical educational

polices were primarily focused on “the technol-
ogy” to improve instruction by increasing broad-
band, computers, and technical support (Vrasidas
& Glass, 2005), however, these policies focused
on supporting learning initiatives that would
impact students via embedding innovative digital
technologies and rethinking curricula with new
approaches. The vision was enacted in classroom
practices and impacted learning, as students
became collaborators, creators, and producers.
126
In fact, a majority of students met or exceeded
formative and summative assessment criteria for
projects, convincing the districts to expand or
extend programs. Using this “bottom up” and
“top down” approach (Chamberlain et al., 2013,

p. 4) meshed the work of administrators, teachers
and students to encourage innovation, and district
support to carry out the vision. Inarguably, the
work in the classrooms and districts mentioned
herein has just begun, and advanced measures of
student achievement linked to innovation is a
necessary next step.
Final Thoughts
Broadening understanding to innovate with
digital media in classrooms is time intensive and
challenging. Understanding local contexts and
building a supportive, participatory culture helps
ensure deep, consequential, and sustainable
changes. To realize substantial impact with
DML, teachers must consider their situations,
alter beliefs about their roles, commit to
flexibility, rely on learning with and from
students, apprentice one another, and participate

within a broad community.
References
Chamberlain, A., Dronenm, M., Herro, D., Keen, M.,
Kelley, D., Mathews, A., . . . Bosco, J. (Eds.).
(2013). Seven keys to unlocking school transform-
ation with digital media. Consortium for School
Networking (CoSN), MacArthur Funded white-
paper series.
Clarke, J., & Dede, C. (2009). Design for scalability:
A case study of the River City curriculum. Journal
of Science Education and Technology, 18,
353–365.
Coburn, C. E. (2003). Rethinking scale: Moving
beyond numbers to deep and lasting change.
Educational Researcher, 32, 3–12.
Collins, A., & Halverson, R. (2009). Rethinking
education in the age of technology. New York,
NY: Teachers College Press.

Consortium for School Networking. (2014). Retrieved
from http://www.cosn.org/.
Cuban, L. (2001). Oversold & underused. Computers
in the classroom. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.
Ertmer, P. (2005). Teacher pedagogical beliefs: The
final frontier in our quest for technology integration.
Educational Technology Research and Develop-
ment, 53, 25–39.
Fahser-Herro, D., & Steinkuehler, C. (2009). Web 2.0
literacy and secondary teacher education. Journal
of Computing in Teacher Education, 26, 55–62.
Jenkins, H., Clinton, K., Purushotma, R., Robison, A.,
& Weigel, M. (2006). Confronting the challenges of
participatory culture: Media education for the 21
st
century. Chicago, IL: MacArthur Foundation.
Shaffer, D. W. (2006). How computer games
help children learn. New York, NY: Palgrave/

Macmillan.
Songer, N. B., Lee, H. S., & McDonald, S. (2003).
Research towards an expanded understanding of
inquiry science beyond one idealized standard.
Science Education, 87, 490–516.
Vrasidas, C., & Glass, G. V. (Eds.). (2005). Preparing
teachers to teach with technology. Scottsdale, AZ:
Information Age.
127
http://www.cosn.org/
Copyright of Theory Into Practice is the property of Taylor &
Francis Ltd and its content may
not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv
without the copyright holder's
express written permission. However, users may print,
download, or email articles for
individual use.
Abstract Case 1: Integrating Web 2.0 Tools in a Social Studies
Curriculum Classroom Context Teacher Perspectives District
Support Technical Requirements Scalability Case 2: Supporting
a Traditional Science Curriculum With App Development
Classroom Context Teacher Perceptions District Support

Technical Requirements Scalability Case 3: A Game Design
Curriculum for High School Students Classroom Context
Teacher Perspective District-Level Support Technical
Requirements Scalability Understanding Context: What Might
Educators Do? Fostering Participation: What Does it Look
Like? Low Barriers to Expression Strong Support for
Creating and Sharing Creations Informal Membership
Recognizing Contributions Shifting Policy and Practice: A New
Role for Teachers Final Thoughts
Immigrants and Refugees
Module 5. Migration Management, Politics and the State
I. Research on your own,
· How Many immigrants does the U.S. allow per year?
· what are the categories for admission?
· how are these numbers broken down (who is included and who
is not)?
· Describe patterns and trends of deportation (Alien Removals)
in the US over the last 20 years
II. From the Ong Hing reading,
· What does the author argue was the rationale of the
exclusionary policies of the 1952 Act?

· What would you say has been the fall out or aftermath of those
policies?
In order to support 21st century students, technology and
innovation must be a part of instruction to engage students. As
technology continues to grow at an astronomical pace, teachers
must stay current on incorporating technology into instruction.
Create a 3-5 minute explainer video to inform fellow teachers
about three appropriate media and technology resources that
support content, skill development, and engage and support the
learning of all students, and how they can relate to humanities
content areas.
Include the following for each resource in your video:
· Summary of the resource, including links and relevant
information needed to access it
· How the resource will support content and skill development,
particularly in humanities
· How the resource will engage students and support learning

· How the resource will foster innovation and problem solving
In addition, submit a one-page outline summarizing the
information in your video.
Support your findings with a minimum of three scholarly
references.
Submit your summary, video links, and references on the
“Explainer Video Template.”
While APA style format is not required for the body of this
assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text
citations and references should be presented using
documentation guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style
Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to
beginning the assignment to become familiar with the
expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A
link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in
Class Resources if you need assistance.
Attachments

Danielle HerroSustainable Innovations BringingDigital M

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Danielle HerroSustainable Innovations BringingDigital M

Similar to Danielle HerroSustainable Innovations BringingDigital M (20)

More from OllieShoresna

More from OllieShoresna (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Danielle HerroSustainable Innovations BringingDigital M